Genres

Ticker: price and year-over-year change for 40 genres. Price is the median estimated first-year revenue of indie paid launches. The change shows for genres with 100+ launches. The same figures are on the Genres page.

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Game Market DataBuild what sells
Live games
192,217
on 3 Oct 2026

Niches 3 Oct

Of 1,116 niches with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 511 beat the 20 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 238 under $5, 44 in 100 at $20 to $40.511 of 1,116 niches beat the 20 in 100 base rate.511 beat the base rate.

Typical launch, all prices, first year $552

Niches

Every tag pair (two tags on the same game), screened by how often its indie launches earned $100k or more in their first year. Pick your price first: price moves the odds more than the tags do.

Indie paid Steam launches 12 to 36 months old, data 3 Oct 2026. A hit is an estimated first year of $100k+. Earnings are sales on Steam after discounts and regional prices, before Steam's 30% cut, refunds and sales tax. About 58% of it reaches the developer. The revenue estimate is soft: about 6 to 7.5 in 100 launches overall.

The niche list

Best odds at my priceChance of $100k+, read within one price band.Now: Building + Life Sim, 63 in 100. 1,116 match.Steady marketsHolds in every lens and no single game owns it.Now: Cozy + Simulation, 56 in 100. 396 match.Biggest typical yearWhat the middle launch earned, highest first.Now: Economy + Management, $51,218 typical. 1,116 match.Biggest upsideWhat the top tenth earned at least.Now: First-Person + Immersive Sim, $903k top 1 in 10. 569 match.Proven at scale100+ launches and above the base rate.Now: Management + Simulation, 38 in 100. 53 match.Busiest marketsMost launches first: where the competition is.Now: Adventure + Exploration, 390 launches. 1,116 match.
Hide one-hit markets244 outHide small samples547 out

1,116 of 4,635 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. Sorted by chance of $100k+, highest first.

2D + Linear 2 of 30 earned $100k+ at $10 to $20$10k+ 40 in 100 Small
2D + Magic 0 of 31 earned $100k+ at $10 to $20$10k+ 19 in 100 1-hitSmall
Pin another to compare.
Niches at $10 to $20, sorted by chance of $100k+. The first row is the base rate.
Rank#NicheChance of $100k+Typical yearTop 1 in 10LaunchesMarkersPin
All games at $10 to $20the base rate: the row to beat 20 in 100878 of 4,304 $10,978$287,297 4,304
1 63 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches 63 in 10019 hits under 100 under 100 30 1-hitSmall Pin Building + Life Sim
2 60 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches 60 in 10030 hits under 100 under 100 50 Audience Pin Casual + Cozy
3 59 in 100 earned $100k+, from 54 launches 59 in 10032 hits under 100 under 100 54 Audience Pin Cozy + Relaxing
4 56 in 100 earned $100k+, from 36 launches 56 in 10020 hits under 100 under 100 36 Small Pin Cozy + Simulation
5 55 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches 55 in 10017 hits under 100 under 100 31 Small Pin Cinematic + Story Rich
6 53 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches 53 in 10016 hits under 100 under 100 30 SmallAudience Pin Cooking + Simulation
7 53 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches 53 in 10017 hits under 100 under 100 32 Small Pin Online Co-Op + Simulation
8 53 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches 53 in 10018 hits under 100 under 100 34 SmallAudience Pin Base Building + Tower Defense
9 52 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches 52 in 10017 hits under 100 under 100 33 Small Pin Life Sim + Open World
10 49 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches 49 in 10026 hits under 100 under 100 53 1-hit Pin Base Building + City Builder
11 49 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches 49 in 10017 hits under 100 under 100 35 1-hitSmall Pin Automation + Crafting
12 47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches 47 in 10016 hits under 100 under 100 34 Small Pin First-Person + Multiplayer
13 47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches 47 in 10015 hits under 100 under 100 32 Small Pin Automation + Strategy
14 47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 79 launches 47 in 10037 hits under 100 under 100 79 none Pin Multiplayer + Online Co-Op
15 46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches 46 in 10024 hits under 100 under 100 52 1-hit Pin Economy + Immersive Sim
16 46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches 46 in 10024 hits under 100 under 100 52 1-hitAudience Pin First-Person + Management
17 46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 48 launches 46 in 10022 hits under 100 under 100 48 Small Pin Economy + Sandbox
18 45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches 45 in 10014 hits under 100 under 100 31 Small Pin Automation + Resource Management
19 45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches 45 in 10014 hits under 100 under 100 31 Small Pin Roguelike + Tower Defense
20 Automation + Simulation45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 40 launches 45 in 10018 hits under 100 under 100 40 1-hitSmall Pin Automation + Simulation

45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 40 launches at $10 to $20. That is about 2.2 times the base rate.

Base rate at $10 to $20: 20 in 100 (878 of 4,304 launches earned $100k+).

Odds by size: $1k+ 93 in 100 · $10k+ 70 in 100 · $100k+ 45 in 100. Under 100 launches, so no typical figure.

Lens check, all pricesOne-hit market. Standard: the base the others are compared with. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: moves the answer. Last 18 months: holds.

  • 1-hitSchedule I holds 88% of all the money here (all prices). Read the typical figure, not the total.
  • SmallOnly 40 launches at $10 to $20: one or two games swing the odds.
Chance of $100k+ at every price (Standard lens)
PriceChanceLaunchesTypical
All prices20 in 100135$5,404
Under $50 of 41 launches41under 100
$5 to $104 of 44 launches44under 100
$10 to $2045 in 10040under 100
$20 to $405 of 10 launches10under 100

Grey: under 30 launches or 5 hits at that price, written as a count. Typical needs 100 launches. Odds compare best within one price.

Its two tags alone, at $10 to $20

  • Automation39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 83 launches
  • Simulation24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 874 launches
Open niche pageCheck this idea
21 45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 58 launches 45 in 10026 hits under 100 under 100 58 none Pin Multiplayer + Simulation
22 44 in 100 earned $100k+, from 36 launches 44 in 10016 hits under 100 under 100 36 Small Pin Cozy + Exploration
23 44 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches 44 in 10015 hits under 100 under 100 34 Small Pin Economy + Resource Management
24 43 in 100 earned $100k+, from 37 launches 43 in 10016 hits under 100 under 100 37 Small Pin Base Building + Colony Sim
25 43 in 100 earned $100k+, from 49 launches 43 in 10021 hits under 100 under 100 49 Small Pin Cozy + Cute
Show 25 moreShowing 25 of 1,116 niches
green beats the base ratecoral below it bar: the chance; amber tick: the base rate1-hit one game holds over half the moneySmall under 50 launches in this viewAudience reads differently for Western players

Under 30 launches or 5 hits a chance is written as a count ("3 of 12"), never as odds. Typical year is the middle launch's first-year earnings. Lenses, the one-hit share and the audience split are measured across all prices. A game counts in every pair its tags make.

Releases

Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.